**2. Breed characteristics**

This goat (*Capra hircus*), a mammal belonging to subfamily Caprinae and family Bovidae produces fine, soft and much straighter double fleece of hair called guard hair. These goats are of medium type, their height ranges from 60 to 80 cm. The average weight of male and female pashmina goats is about 45 and 35 kg respectively. They possess wide horns; have blocky builds, and refined features. Pashmina goats occur in different colours. White tends to be dominant but black, brown, red, cream, grey and badger faced are very common. These goats tend to be alert and cautious, rather than docile and placid. These traits are largely due to their feral ancestry, relatively only a few generations back (**Figure 1**).

**103**

*Pashmina Goat Farming in Cold Arid Desert of Changthang and Its Impact on Economy…*

Colour of Changthangi goats generally vary from white to light brown (88% of the goats are white in colour and only 12% have a light brown colour). The colour of the head of Changthangi goats ranges from white to black with a few animals spotting grey head. Birth parameters are: the length is about 26.0 ± 0.2 cm, the height at wither and girths at chest is 27.7 ± 2.0 and 29.9 ± 1.6 cm, respectively. The whole body of the animal is covered with undercoat of pashmina as well as long hair. The face and muzzle are without hair. The ears of Changthangi goats are small in size and erect while the horns possess a typical character. The horns are curved first upward and then backwards, downwards and onwards. The body is observed to be

Based on the various physical parameters, the world pashmina goats can be classified into four main groups: (1) western, (2) eastern, (3) feral and northern, and

**Goat size (avg.) Changthangi male (adult) Changthangi female (adult)**

Body weight (kg) 30 28 Body length (cm) 52 53 Body height (cm) 53 52 Chest girth (cm) 66 65

The principal characteristics are a higher production of undercoat and coarser undercoat fibres than Mongolian and feral goats and undercoat is often longer than the outer coat. Undercoat weight as a percentage of fleece weight is 75–80%, but there is some content of intermediate fibres. Undercoat fibre length is 9–11 cm, fibre diameter 18–20 μm, body weight of adult does 34–36 kg and body weight of

The principal characteristics are long outer coat fibres protecting a fine undercoat, and shorter undercoat fibres (5–6 cm) than in the Kirgiz type. Undercoat production is up to 350 g for does and 600 g for bucks, but more for the best animals. The principal aims of selection are a higher undercoat weight and longer undercoat

Re-domesticated feral goats are relative newcomers in cashmere production, and the population is very heterogeneous and unimproved. Undercoat percentage and production are often smaller than the economics of single-purpose production would require, and the role of these goats in the economy should be viewed, at pres-

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84523*

**3. Morphological characters**

**3.1 Classification of pashmina goats**

(4) Pashmina-Mohair crossbred goats [3].

*3.1.1 The western (Kirgiz) type*

*3.1.2 The eastern (Mongolian) type*

*3.1.3 Feral and northern goats*

fibres, but no change in undercoat diameter.

ent at least, from the point of multipurpose production.

adult bucks 55–60 kg.

straight and heavy.

**Figure 1.** *Pashmina goats leaving for grazing. Source: Beigh (author of this chapter).*

*Pashmina Goat Farming in Cold Arid Desert of Changthang and Its Impact on Economy… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84523*
